France’s Lucile Lefevre didn’t have any intentions of concluding her snowboarding career in a tiger costume, but after injuring her knee in slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics, the 26-year-old snowboarder knew she wanted to go out with a roar.
Wearing a fluffy tiger costume – complete with a striped tail – Lefevre launched herself off of the ramp for all three runs of women’s big air qualifying. She didn’t attempt any major tricks, apart from a mid-air wave.
“I decided to just say hi to the judge,” Lefevre joked.
Video of snowboarder Lucile Lefevre competing in a tiger onesie at the 2022 Winter Olympics:
RAWR! 🐯
After an injury, French snowboarder Lucile Lefevre decided to have fun and wear a tiger onesie while competing in the big air competition. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/c6RIUyplZ7
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 14, 2022
The French snowboarder finished 29th overall, last of all of the starters. In the finish area, she clawed and growled at the camera, before going for a more friendly wave.
Lefevre borrowed the tiger costume from Swiss athlete Nicolas Huber. “I asked if he would give it to me for this day,” she explained. “It’s for tiger (Chinese) new year, so everyone wants a picture with me.”
Lefevre hopes the tiger costume spreads a message of fun.
“There are a lot of problems in the world. If everyone was peace and easy, the world would be better for sure, that’s the message I want to share.”
Lefevre, who made her Olympic debut in 2018, said the Beijing Games were the final competition of her snowboarding career. As for what she will do now, she plans to help her dad run his sailing school.
“And I will maybe train some baby snowboarders.”
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